Souvlaki’s Greek Skewers

I love the veggie souvlaki! It’s basically a salad and falafel in a wrap, mm. I’ve found myself craving specifically this for lunch many times and even go all by myself if no one can join me. Get the tzatziki!
Get the baklava if you want a little something sweet!
There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and it’d be easy to gather a group here.
I don’t live in San Jose any more and I miss this place.

What a difference a day makes. Back in the same area at lunch so tried this place. Real gyros added extra extra meat for a total of $ 9. The price of the small chopped beef plate at the new halal guys place.
Meat was a little more cooked and dry than I prefer. I’ll ask for less cooked next time. Real taziki. They put fries on top that I took out and ate separately.
Good prompt service. Opened a few minutes early which was nice for me and 3 ladies that ordered before me.
Will definitely be back.

Great food and good service. My favorite is the chicken souvlaki. It’s about 7 dollars without tax and you get a good amount of food. Definitely worth coming here for lunch or even dinner. I have eaten here and taken out as well. The only thing is it gets busy around 730PM. Highly recommend this!

OCCASION: It is my boyfriend and my 5^th month together as a couple. He knows that I love falafel so he looked this place up on Unilocal.
ENVIRONMENT: It is located in a very ghetto area in San Jose. I was surprised to see this part of the city. I live in San Jose but never knew that W Alma Ave is so ghetto. The restaurant is located in a decent looking small plaza. Very limited parking in the front but more parking in the back. Google Maps messed up so we had to U-​turn to go back. There is outdoors and indoor seating. Chairs are not very comfy. Inside, there are many tables and chairs. Decorations are nice. The menu and prices are right in front of you which is nice.
FOOD: I had the falafel souvlaki and it was delicious. That only downside was the falafel. It didn’t have the crunchy feeling, very soft, and a little spicy. Spice was OK for me though. The salad and calamari were delicious. My boyfriend go the lamb souvlaki and his was delicious. It also had fries! The falafel souvlaki didn’t have fries.
CUSTOMER SERVICE: Great. The lady was nice and helped us with what to eat. She gave us the smaller menu to look at and was patient when we were deciding what to eat.
PRICE: Inexpensive! I highly recommend eating here if you’re on a budget.
OVERALL: Great restaurant. Only downside was that the falafel wasn’t so delicious and the restaurant is located in a very ghetto area. (I would not feel safe driving there alone!)Otherwise, customer service was great, price is great.

Delicious! Love the casual atmosphere backed with flavorful foods. Came here with a bunch of wives and the place fit us well. Will definitely come back and try other things on the menu. I got the lamb gyro and that was yummyyyyy. Plus fries, which you have to get. Warm, straight out of the fryer!

The food was great! As a Greek I give it two thumbs up! The gyro salad was really refreshing and tasty, and the gyro souvlaki (wrap) has a really nice garlic yoghurt sauce inside. My husband liked that they added the fries to the wrap because it reminded him of how they did it in Athens. We also tried the tzatziki and the spanakopita. Both were great, but it would have been nice for the spanakopita to have more filling.
I was so excited to find a strictly Greek restaurant, not a mixed Mediterranean place. It makes it so much more authentic and homely — we’ll definitely be back! They also play Greek radio on the patio, so you can listen to the music while eating. I was told the station was Sfera 102.2, if anyone is interested. Next time I’ll try their pastitsio and lemon soup to see how it holds up to my yiayia’s!

Great food. But considering the price point, we all agreed the location was a bit too casual. Spent $ 40 on a shared lunch for three, didn’t dig the open doors that let flies constantly buzz around our table and made the room uncomfortably warm.
CALAMARI APPETIZER: Basket of perfectly-​fried rings and small octopus, lightly seasoned and accompanied by a light lemon-​mayo sauce. Not sure I’d get this again necessarily but it was better than expected.
SOUVLAKI SPECIAL: $ 2 surcharge for lamb is totally worth it, meat is nicely seasoned and perfectly medium. Side salad is huge, rice is delicious, and pita is clearly fresh-​made rather than store-​bought as elsewhere. Add on a chicken skewer to make this a shareable portion ($ 5), tasty and juicy.
GREEN HORIATIKI SALAD: Good portion for the price, dig the marinated cucumbers. Easy to add on a skewer to make this a meal in itself, or makes a solid side (half portion available). Fresh produce, but sad to see only one tomato wedge.
Beer and wine are available, counter service is friendly, water station to the back. Try to snag a table under an AC vent if it’s a humid day. Good lunch spot.

Really nice owners, but a little overpriced for the quality and portions. If you’re reading this, owners, the quality of your rice really needs improvement. The last time we were there, it tasted like plain old industrial grade rice, rather than Jasmin or Basmati, and it was pretty mushy and not well cooked. For the price, I would at least expect quality rice. Could use more ambiance too. Very brightly lit… though that seems to be popular with some restaurant owners, I don’t know anyone who really likes eating in a brightly lit restaurant. It just doesn’t feel very restful.
We really wanted to love this place because it was close to home. But there are a few other places nearby with much better Greek food for comparable prices with a nicer atmosphere. John’s on Lincoln (formerly John’s Xlint Foods) comes to mind. I honestly don’t understand the stellar ratings that this place is drawing here on Unilocal.We were there a few times, but the portions seemed to be getting smaller, while the prices rose… and we’re not big eaters. If the food was excellent, we might not mind. But it was pretty mediocre. It’s been a while since we’ve been back. Maybe we’ll give it one more try. It might be that we don’t usually order gyros and fries, which seem to be earning high praise here. We usually order one of the platters or salads.

This is a great family owned business and actually the best Greek food I can find in the Bay Area, aside from my step mom’s cooking (she’s Greek). The food is delicious, and the portions are pretty big. Prices match what you pay for– totally worth it. I usually get the Gyro Pita Combo (includes fries and a drink).
It’s located in a small strip of stores with little parking in the front– if you don’t find any, there are way more spots in the back. The restaurant has a good number of tables inside as well as outside.
I am a regular here and definitely recommend this place over Opa’s and Nick the Greek.

This place sure is popular — definitely a hidden gem if you don’t drive past the area. Not a lot of parking available and not as big as Opa, but I always find smaller non-​chain, individually owned places are much better and this place is proof.
The beef skewers are amazing! The spicy feta dip and lemon soup quenched my craving for something simple and tasty. This place easily rivals Opa, especially when you want to support local joints such as this. And the best part is the customer service is the best I’ve encountered.
It does get really busy during lunch time — all the times I’ve come during lunch, there are always large groups of people figuring out what to order so line gets backed up (would be helpful if people looked up the menu ahead of time so as not to back the line up). There also seems to be lots of people ordering large to go orders so I can only assume that this place is also popular for large orders for parties.

Another first time trip to try out new food and we were not disappointed. Don’t blink you may drive by it but so worth it.
We are the. Veggie Gyro and Chicken Gyro both were fresh hot and good a must try.

Came here a few weeks ago with my best friend and was really, pleasantly surprised! I drove right past it the first time because I wasn’t expecting it, but it’s in such a nice spot out of the way from some of the craziness of San Jose. I ordered the pork gyro souvlaki along with some spicy feta & tzatziki with pita to start with. Watch out — the spicy feta really has a kick, but it’s delicious. You can use some of the tzatziki in between to cool things down. :)
The pork in the gyro was really tender and tasty, the staff was friendly, the food came out quickly, and the price for everything was reasonable. What more can you ask for? I’ll definitely be back!

The best way to get a 1-​star rating is to put out food that makes people sick. Writing this review from the pot as dinner just blew thru me. As I was eating my lamb souvlaki sandwich, I noted that I’ve never seen yellow tzatziki sauce before. Probably never will again. Besides making me sick, the food was on the bland side — grilled peppers in the sandwich (why?) and spanakopita that was void of butter and salt. Not sure why this place has a 4 ½ star rating.

This restaurant is a bomb!!! I didn’t like Greek food very much, but after eating at Souvlaki, I changed my mind! The gyro is just heavenly delicious! The well-​seasoning beef wrapped in warm and soft pita. In addition, the tzatziki sauce was perfect, too. I love it so much!!! I can’t wait to try other Mid-​Western food next time.

Mmmm the food here is so flavorful!
I got a gyro combo— gyro + french fries + soda.
The fries had a good amount of seasoning and they were super crispy! Just the way I like them. They are very generous with the meat in their gyros. They add pieces of fries in the gyro as well. It was a nice touch.
Service is quick. They accept credit cards. Lots of seating indoors and outdoors. Parking lot is small.
Def coming back here.

If you’re in the mood for a gyro, this is place will definitely hit the spot. Delicious gyros, great prices and a random but cute little restaurant. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick bite in the area.
We didn’t run into any lines, but I can imagine that it would get pretty crowded during weekday regular lunch hours!

Good? Yeah.
I had a basic gyro for $ 7. The meat was good. The Tzatziki was good. Very basic but still tasty and filling.
I tried the lemon soup but I’ve had better. The French fries were ok.
Service was nice. Parking is limited. If you’re going to pick it up or eat briefly then this is a good spot.

I’ve been dropping into Souvlaki’s since its opening a couple if years ago. I’m kinda surprised to see it’s gotten pretty occupied and revered in such a short amount of time.
I’ll be straight with you, after Falafel Drive-​In (bleh) I’ve become a Mikonos guy whenever I was in the Milpitas area. For Greek, it’s either you had to go to Falafel’s or Mikonos Grill; but now they have Souvlaki’s by my barbers in Willow Glen and Nick the Greek in South San Jose.
I don’t stray too far away from my lamb/​beef/​chicken dishes when it comes to Mediterranean food and that hasn’t changed here. It’s either a gyro sandwich (HEE-​RO, not JI-​ROW) or salad for me. I like how they pair the chicken with lamb here as one of your choices because the majority of other places like their lamb+beef combinations. This is one of the first places I’ve tried the chicken option and it did not disappoint. Not a fan of the whole tomato slices in the gyro wrap, but that’s a minor thing to complain about because everything else delivers.
Definitely lives up to that dumb «half star» under its name.

3.5! Been here a few times with coworkers and for take out.
Food:
Falafel: I like this as a side. I love how creamy the texture is, it’s different, but good! ⁵⁄₅
Gyro salad: I like this with lamb. It’s pretty good. Filling, healthier menu option. I just wish they’d hold back on the dressing. Super oily and it was overdressed. ³⁄₅
Pass on the fries and pita. I’ve had bettttaaa!
Wish the lady on the cash register was a little nicer tho.
Good amount of parking!
Indoor and outdoor seating.
They take card!

The food here is so, so good. We came here because it was close to where we were going, the price looked right, and it had good Unilocal ratings. So, we tried it and we were NOT disappointed. Had the gyro salad and the tzatziki (with pita). Also, dining partner had the mousaka. There were absolutely no complaints. Everything was Greek perfection.
So…it was THAT good, that before we left town, we came back for a second visit. I highly recommend!

This is a really small off the beaten path restaurant with excellent food, and great service. The location is in a tiny, almost non-​existent, strip of about 5 stores. Blink and you will pass it. It’s a «order at the counter and take your number to your table» kind of restaurant. Not an issue for me. Service was super friendly from the guy behind the counter. The owner came by to make sure we were happy with our meals. I LOVE THAT!!! He was overseeing everything, yet allowing the staff to do their jobs.. . I had the lamb special plate and was realy impressed with the quality of the food, as well as the quantity. I will be back when in the area for sure.

Wanting to try a new restaurant in town and this place was perfect. Service was friendly and they recommended something I really enjoyed. Highly recommend the chicken gyro souvlaki

Excellent food at a decent price. And the service was exceptional. Well worth the visit.

Very tasty, good quality and price. My first time and the help reviewers didn’t disappoint me.

Great food with fabulous service! Small restaurant in an easy location near the freeway entrance/​exit. Seating both indoors and outdoors with a parking lot. Prepare to enjoy deliciously fresh Greek food at a bargain price!
The chicken special and lamb special comes with meat skewer, Greek salad, rice, pita, and tazaki for $ 10! The meat had a nice char on the outside, while remaining moist on the inside! One of the best kabobs I have had. and they don’t skimp on the meat. This is a family owned business, and the owner was on site to make sure the customers are happy. The service was courteous (order at counter and wait at table) and food came quickly (while maintaining high quality in taste).
Definitely recommend eating here!

The food is tasty but my lamb souvlaki could have definitely used a little more lamb. The ‘regular’ souvlaki was pretty good. Service was fine as well but we might just go back to our usual Greek place instead.

Love Greek food! And Souvlaki’s is definitely a casual favorite. We enjoy stopping by here when in the area. Great job Souvlaki’s!

The gyro is the only thing I’ve tried because it is SO GOOD I can’t imagine going here and not getting one.
Quick service and it always hits the spot.
Plus the customer service is great, they are always so friendly.
Thank YOU!

The reviewer that said meat was dry was right on. Its not because of the lack of tomatoes though. My had a lot of tomatoes. The meat is just dry and lacked the seasoning of gyros I’ve had elsewhere. I just ordered the gyro sandwich. It also needed a lot more tsatziki sauce.
The price is right and the portion size is good. Just needs more flavor.
The staff are very friendly and helpful.

Stopped by here with a friend over the weekend. Both of us ordered numba JUANS which was a gyro with garlic fries and a drink.
Their Tzatziki sauce surprisingly didn’t come inside the gyro. Also, they didn’t offer it to us until we asked. The taste of their sauce was veryyy tasteful to me, I really liked the minty flavor that came out of it.
The gyro was served wrapped up tightly with just the end sticking out, almost similar to how and in n out burger would be served. Not enough tomato caused this gyro to be a little dry, but nonetheless I still savored each and every bite.
THE FRENCH FRIES — SOOO DELICIOUS, SO crispy, ABUNDANT, the right amount of salt, I WISH I HAD SOME RIGHT NOW.
I noticed how this place had lots of walk in and out traffic as well (on a sunday!), seems very popular for a nice lunch date. I also liked how there were tables outside so customers could enjoy the sunlight outside!
I’d go back again, I would just make sure I had more. «toppings»? included into the gyro.

Sovlaki’s Greek Skewers is as hole-​in-​the-​wall as you can possibly get, but man does it serve up some great food. The combo skewer plates are delicious and fresh. The pita is nicely spiced and soft, skewers are seasoned and cooked to perfection, and the salads with tzatziki are wonderful.
Service is very attentive, helpful with their recommendations, and lightning quick. I’ll definitely be back.

In A Nutshell:
–500^th review!
–I love the simple yet welcoming layout. You have a nice little patio out front with shade and some seating arrangements inside.
–The 1^st thing I noticed and had to compliment them on was their superior beer selection, several IPA’s (including my fave Sculpin IPA).
–The Gyro Salad was so big and so good, definitely recommend it.
–The Gyro Combo was also a «must-​have» with its perfect balance of crispy French fries in the side.
Overall, you always gotta love those neighborhood spots neatly tucked away, family friendly w/​great food, especially Greek!!! WILL BE BACK FOR MORE SOON :)

Excellent place to have a casual dinner, order at the front and the food will be brought out to the table. I ordered the Mousaka with salad and my friend got a Gyro salad. I got a few bites of the Gyro, it was pretty good. WARNING: THE FOOD AROMAS COMING FROM THE KITCHEN WHEN YOU WALK BY IT ARE INTOXICATING. I have not smelled anything like it in quite sometime. It may leave you hungry for more, haha
They have outdoor seating which fills up with large parties or families pretty quickly since the tables outside can accommodate them better. Can get a bit loud inside since you’re relatively close to other tables. The interior is not big by any means and has limited seating. My Mousaka was great, I’ve never tried one before but its like a Greek lasagna. Egg plant with ground meat is what was inside. Maybe a another thing or two… not sure.
Both dishes are really light dinners, good on a warm summer night. I’d recommending ordering another dish to share if two people are especially hungry. I like this place and would give them a solid 4.5… rounding up to 5. They are a family run restaurant and seem to really have some of the best Greek food in the South Bay. Lastly there is also a market in the same little plaza that sells Marianne Ice Cream from Santa Cruz. I picked up Pistachio and Horchata that night! Hehe.

Yum!!! Why did I keep this place bookmarked for two years without trying it?! I finally went tonight and had a chicken gyro souvlaki. So much good flavor and produce. Delicious.
The baklava was good too. Had a particular spice that was a little much for me and not what I’m used to but sweet, sticky goodness.
Going back for many more things. :)

Wow. We’ve eaten here dozens of times since the restaurant opened and had great experiences which makes today’s trip all the more shocking. (We even had Souvlaki cater my husband’s 40^th birthday party.) What was so unsettling today was that we were consistently treated like we had done something wrong just for asking that we receive what we had ordered, and when the replacement meal & items were finally brought out – after 25 minutes – the cashier would not let us eat until we paid the $ 8 difference between what we ordered and what she mistakingly undercharged us.
When my husband was finally brought his meal, he was rudely interrupted by the cashier who was pretty hostile, insisting he pay the difference between what he had ordered and what she charged him. He said, «I’d like to eat my lunch, please.» She again interrupted. He again asked to be left to eat his meal. She again interrupted. And again. Finally, he raised his voice to her and asked that she leave him to eat his meal in peace. He got up and walked out without being able to eat his meal or finish his drink.
Incidentally, my entrée was also incorrect, and I also waited a considerable time (20 minutes) for the forgotten item which was overcooked when it finally arrived.
Our bill for two plates, drinks, and an appetizer was just over $ 38 which is on the higher end for this establishment. I left my phone number for the owner with the message that we will gladly pay the difference between our bill and the menu items we were finally served ($ 8, even though my husband walked out without being able to eat his lunch) if she’ll call so I can tell her about our experience.
We’ve recommended Slouvlaki’s to many people, but clearly there’s been a sea change in customer service since the owner stepped back from hands on management. We won’t be back.

Tried out Souvlaki’s Greek Skewers on Sun 5÷24÷15. It’s near Hwy 87 and pretty quick place to order to go & head out. They are in a strip-​mall so some parking in the front and back and street parking.
I got a Lamb souvlaki $ 8.99, it’s a bunch of cubed lamb chunks, some tzatziki sauce, some tomato slices, & red onions. Next time I need to get without red onions. I told the girl I didn’t want french fries so I asked for side salad for extra $ 2.99 with also comes with a drink (fountain soda drink).
Side salad had greens, cucumbers, slice of tomato, some onions, & feta cheese. I liked it ok.
I also got a container of the powdered sugar cookies 2 cookies in the container for $ 3.25 after tax.
You can charge it here. One unisex bathroom in the back.
They have Free passes to the SJ Greek Festival if you want to go May 29 – 31, 2015 by the register. Metro Newspaper on the back table.
Daily 11am-8:30pm

«So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” – Franz Kafka
Situated along the easterly edge of Willow Glen-​Ghetto Glen border, Souvlaki’s Greek Skewers (SGS) has been serving up terrific Greek cuisine since its inception in 2012. The brainchild of Maria Vlahopouliotis, whose business model is to bring authentic, delicious and value-​priced Greek food to the masses. Those aforementioned reasons are why SGS has become my «go-​to» spot for lunch when I’m working in the area. I have found a three item rotation that I like to cycle through in no particular order:
Gyro Souvlaki w/​Greek Fries– The Gyro is a combination of Beef and Lamb meat sliced fresh of their rotating spit, and crisped up on the grill. It’s then topped with tomatoes, onions, fries, Tzatziki sauce and wrapped-​up in soft, warm Pita. And let’s not forget about their fresh-​cut fries that are always served up hot, fresh and with just a pinch of Greek seasoning. This a pretty terrific combination, and highly recommended for 1^st timers. 4.5*
Mousaka– For those who aren’t familiar with this dish, I liken it to Greek Lasagna. There’s a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom; a rich, beefy tomato sauce in the middle; topped off with a layer of eggplants and a heavenly cheesy béchamel sauce. Now if that doesn’t get your mouth watering, it’s time to check your pulse. This might be my «go-​to» dish here – which is a bold statement considering how delicious everything else is! 5*
Gyro Salad– If you’re in the mood for some meat sweats, or just low-​carbing it, then this is definitely going to be your dish. It’s a huge serving of their Gyro meat piled high atop a bed of Romaine lettuce, Greek Feta and their tasty Balsamic Vinaigrette. This is man food, baby! 4.5*
Service & Ambiance– While the location is questionable, the strip mall SGS is located in has undergone a recent makeover and looks a little out-​of-​place. The interior is clean, well-​kept and adorned in Greek everything (i.e., flags, murals and pictures). The smell of meat and spices perfumes the air and instantly increases the hunger factor times ten. I’ve only dealt with Maria as she’s always there taking orders and running a tight-​ship. She’s very friendly and affable – exactly the kind of small business owner we should be supporting. 5*
Value– All the meals here are value-​priced at under $ 10. The Mousaka alone at $ 8.59 feels like stealing, and that’s not even factoring in the incredible taste. 5*
SGS’s current Unilocal rating of 4.5-stars is very well-​earned as they’re following their business model to a T. Highly recommended by yours truly if you’re in the Willow Glen area and looking for terrific, casual and authentic Greek food.

Heard a lot about this place, and was craving Greek so swung on by. It’s in a small plaza, plenty of parking in the back. Fairly small shop, about a dozen tables or so. You order at the counter, get a number, and they bring the food to you. Seems very local where the cashier (owner?) knew half the people coming in.
I got the gyro plate for about $ 11, greek fries, and a drink. The gyro plate was HUGE! Enough for 2 – 3 meals. Lots of meat, salad with an amazing balsamic dressing, 8 triangles of pita bread, and rice. My main con with this dish is it does not come with a sauce, and you have to order a large side seperately. The rice reminded me of Uncle Ben’s, not the typical Greek rice you would expect. Pita was good. My gyro was actually overcooked, so it was a bit dry. However, the greek fries, amazing! Hand cut fries with lots of flavor! Loved it, and love how they have pepper plant sauce too.
Overall, the food was just okay, but would go back again, and get an actual gyro instead since it comes with tzatziki sauce and not as much food as the plate.

You know a place is damn good if every time you walk in, the family that owns the place is eating there. Seriously. Normally families would rather stay home since the food is better but this is their restaurant and they own the fact that it is that good. I think the owner is Maria who has dark hair and will always smile at you when you come in. She is nice to talk to if you have the chance to, definitely get to know her.
My go to here is the chicken special which is a chicken skewer over rice, pita, and a salad. Their chicken is always tender and never dry. The rice is like nothing I have ever had and could eat that alone. Oh and the pita bread, NOM. Even the darn salad is good! The dressing tastes like only vinegar and oil and I was all «oh wow what kind of dressing is this» to my bf whose a cook. LOL.
Their customer service is stellar. I’m not sure what happened when I ordered that I was only given a chicken skewer but they corrected right away, no questions asked and get this, THEY were nice about it. I did not have to do more than just explain to them what happened and they fixed it right away.
Friendly and fast service with good food. What more can you ask for?
They are located on a small corner so parking can be rough on a busy day. Totally worth it.